BARGAINS / GERI COOK

Ready-Made Drapes Are the Best Value

When Blue Chip Drapery opened in West Los Angeles in 1972, owners Charley and Estelle Weisberg's plan was to dispense custom-made draperies. Charley wanted to put to good use his years as drapery buyer and director of interior decorating for May Co. stores in Southern California. Estelle, his wife, would contribute her background in administration and marketing.

In 1977, with the advent of rent control in parts of the Southland, the Weisbergs recognized a great need on the part of apartment owners for inexpensive ready-to-hang draperies. The Weisbergs expanded their inventory to include ready-mades in 120 sizes. They hit pay dirt.

Now, nearly 15 years later, the best bargains at Blue Chip, which has a store in Van Nuys, are still the ready-mades. They're inexpensive and they're fast. Buy today and hang today.

Since Blue Chip now stocks 130 sizes at each of its eight showrooms, it's hard to imagine any window they couldn't fit. The ready-made styles come in several grades: Derby, Aries, Dover, Luxury and Elegance. In the Aries line, an off-white, suede-backed pair of draperies 96 inches wide and 84 inches high is $38.51. The Elegance line is manufactured with custom drapery features in a variety of textures, colors and patterns. A two-ply antique satin with weighted corners from Richloom Home Fashions, a top U.S. mill, is $83.82 for the 96-by-84-inch size.

If you prefer blinds on your windows, check out the store's mini-blinds. The prices are not as low as some competitors' advertised prices, but the quality at Blue Chip is often better. The new Vision 2000 one-inch aluminum blind in a .008 gauge sells for less than many other stores charge for a lesser commercial grade.

Blue Chip's Van Nuys showroom, the chain's largest and its only San Fernando Valley store, offers an extra source for bargain hunters in its Upstairs Basement. Customers can find custom orders, perhaps, that were never picked up, or maybe draperies made from remainders. Some amazing bargains in bolt-end fabrics start at 49 cents a yard. Also check out the good buys on drapery rods.